- Pepper Growers Target
Eastern Europeans
- By Karen Gentry
Managing Editor
- Knowing how they want to buy, what quantities and what varieties are the keys to selling peppers to Eastern Europeans in the Detroit, Mich. area.
Three growers - Bob DeCock, Paul Lapadat and Ron Rodzos - were part of a panel presentation on “Producing and Marketing Peppers for Eastern European Customers,” at the recent Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, Mich.
DeCock, a grower in Macomb Township, 30 miles north of Detroit, told the audience he finds it worthwhile to cater to ethnic groups. He said while they might come to pick up peppers, they’ll also shop for other items such as jams and cabbage. Word-of-mouth advertising within ethnic groups has helped increase their business.
“A lot of people are interrelated to each other,” said DeCock.
DeCock farms with his brothers Larry and Ken, with the help of their mother, Virginia. Their operation grew over three generations from a wholesale vegetable operations to a retail greenhouse and produce business. The farm now draws from a large customer base living and working nearby as well as from the diverse population of metro Detroit.
More than 15 years ago immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe showed an avid desire for large quantities of specific varieties of hot and sweet peppers. Today these customers are a significant part of DeCock’s customer base as they purchase 1,000 bushels of peppers annually at an average price of $13. DeCock said they also purchase a considerable amount of late cabbage.
Approximately 150 families purchase approximately seven to eight bushels of peppers apiece. The peppers are ordered by specific characteristics of shape, color and flavor, if not specific cultivars. The DeCocks trial new cultivars every year and about nine to 10 varieties make up their mix annually.
DeCock told growers he sells to ethnic groups from Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Slovakian, Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Slovenia to name a few. He said the Bulgarians like the Big Chile Chili Pepper with a tinge of a Dorito chip flavor and the Giant Szegedi. DeCock refers to the Giant Szegedi as a white pepper and said it is probably one of their biggest sellers.
“We have a customer base who wants to have a later variety because it’s a little larger,” DeCock said. He told the audience that language barriers can be a problem when selling to ethnic groups and he stressed the importance of staying firm with prices as people will try get you to bring your prices down.
“Have one person who is responsible for these customers,” DeCock said. He also noted that it is good to have a photo album of each pepper that will be available. They keep an order book with the date ordered, quantity, color, customer’s name and phone number.
DeCock said that notifying customers is important and it is preferable to speak to someone who understands English. Set a specific pick-up date and time. He recommends to call customers on a business line so as not to mix personal and business calls.
Their production is on raised beds with trickle irrigation and fertigation. Harvest begins in September and continues as long as possible with overhead irrigation protecting the crop from frost.
Lapadat farms with his wife, Elaine, and their two sons, Justin and Jordan in Rodney, Ontario. They grow peppers as well as u-pick strawberries and corn and soybeans. The Lapadats market the majority of their peppers wholesale to ethnic buyers who sell to their customers who are Italian, Hungarian, Yugoslavian and East Indians to name a few.
Lapadat grows eight to 10 different types of peppers on 23 to 25 acres including hot and sweet varieties as well as green and red bell peppers. They strive for quality and freshness in their produce.
“I believe quality starts in the greenhouse,” Lapadat said. They produce their own plants in plug trays, seeded in early April and planted on bare, sandy loam soil (no plastic or irrigation) in late May. There’s 10,000 plants per acre. Harvest starts in late July or early August.
“We like customers to place orders two days in advance,” Lapadat said. He advised growers to be firm with policies but have some flexibility and always have extra peppers on hand. He said there are two kinds of wholesale buyers - quality and price buyers.
“Sell on quality and freshness and be consistent. Keep your price high,” he told growers.
About 40 years ago, Paul’s parents of Yugoslavian descent grew vegetables on less than five acres and started selling retail. Customers would just show up and his parents would visit with them and let them pick their own. Paul and Elaine expanded the pepper acreage to 10 acres and two wholesale buyers.
Although they prefer their customers place orders for peppers at least two days in advance, some customers still simply show up at their farm. The Lapadats have since expanded their wholesale business from two buyers to seven buyers.
Other tips Lapadat offers to growers about the ethnic market - research the ethnic community you are targeting; research the type of pepper for those communities; sell on quality, know your buyers; let buyers see your face as much as possible and be first marketing peppers in different communities.
Ron Rodzos has 1,200 acres of row crops and two acres of peppers on his farm in St. Clair County in Michigan. He told growers he got into growing peppers because some of his neighbors were Yugoslavians. One neighbor, Mike Rebic, told Rodzos that he missed the peppers that were everywhere in his native Yugoslavia. Potatoes and various kinds of peppers were staples in Rebic’s family. Rodzos paid attention and started catering to this group.
“One family buys 20 bushels at a time,” said Rodzos. The average Yugoslavian family processes 15 to 20 bushels of peppers every year, making everything from pickled peppers, pepper-based slaw to a pepper based sauce.
“It’s a pretty interesting group to deal with although they can be troublesome at times. They make some pretty unique stuff,” Rodzos said. He said they allow some u-pick. One of the more interesting spots he sells at is in a church parking lot after services.
He said he was initially reluctant to sell at the church until the preacher told him had some nice peppers at a nice price. Rodzos said he has gotten a couple of calls from some other churches in Detroit interested in having him sell.
“If you’ve got time to spend, they’ll (ethnic groups) will draw you into their life and culture,” Rodzos said.
At the Expo in Grand Rapids Rodzos met a supplier who imported seed for golden, red sweet Bulgarian, Italian longhorn and crimson chili peppers from Hungary. They got their start in peppers in 2001 when they planted 5,000 plants on two acres. Rodzos uses a transplanter he built himself and a low-cost drip tape machine for irrigation.
To market their peppers Rodzos’ wife Kelly distributes flyers with directions to the farm and u-pick hours. The flyers are also distributed at Detroit-area industrial shops. They also sell in bulk to farm markets.
